Episode 021 - Prof. Karen Scott - What is a healthy gut microbiome?

In episode 21 we chat with Professor Karen Scott of the Rowett Institute at the University of Aberdeen.

Watch the podcast on YouTube.

Professor Scott is one of the world's leading researchers for gut health, gut microbiome and all things microbial. 

We had a fascinating and at times humourous chat about all things microbiome and bacterium. We cover questions such as;

Does Professor Scott take probiotics? What are some of the limitations of current microbiome research? What is a healthy microbiome and how can you make yours healthier through diet, nutrition and potentially supplements? We also cover the role of fibre in our diet and whether we really need to be eating 5 pieces of fruit and veg a day to get our fibre intake, or whether we can find good sources of fibre in other foods. And we chat about where Professor Scott sees the research into the gut microbiome heading in the next 5 years.

You can listen to this episode as a professor with a keen interest in the subject matter of the gut microbiome and still learn things. Likewise, this could be your first ever Inside Masters podcast and you'll learn a lot.

00:00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:47:09 - Getting into the field of the microbiome

00:06:38:08 - Detriments to bacteria transfer

00:11:17:05 - The problem of antimicrobial resistance

00:18:23:01 - Restoring the microbiome post-antibiotics

00:20:53:10 - Illegal to refer to “probiotics”?

00:21:51:23 - Is it a viral or bacterial infection?

00:25:21:07 - Discussion on vancomycin

00:30:29:02 - Does the microbiome change from when people are born and as they get older?

00:32:17:23 - Understanding how bacteria “use us”

00:34:58:13 - Why fibre is so important to the gut

00:40:30:01 - The risks of too much protein

00:41:48:08 - Are some fibres better than others?

00:48:40:04 - Does our gut make us “crave” certain foods?

00:50:17:14 - What is a “healthy” gut microbiome?

00:53:02:17 - Bacteria and inflammation

01:01:59:08 - Advancements in culturing bacteria

01:06:42:13 - Taking probiotics

01:08:42:09 - Thoughts on FMT

01:12:31:07 - The importance of feeding our gut bacteria

01:15:33:08 - Where is the field heading? And conclusion